She’s the iconic blonde who has captured the imagination of artists and filmmakers for decades - and she’s coming to Bendigo.
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The Bendigo Art Gallery will next year host an eponymously-titled exhibition devoted to the life of screen legend Marilyn Monroe.
Gallery director Karen Quinlan said the exhibition, which has been curated entirely by the Bendigo team, had been in the pipeline for two years.
“It’s going to be a very comprehensive exhibition looking at her life and career, displaying costumes, some of her personal items, film extracts, scripts as well as photography,” she said.
Ms Quinlan said more than 60 years after Monroe’s death, the public was still fascinated by the tragic figure.
“She’s an icon; she’s someone who pops up all over the place in art and popular culture and that’s something that’s worth exploring,” she said.
“She had quite an interesting, short life and we certainly want to do her story justice and give it the best overview we can.”
Monroe was still a source of inspiration for many artists, Ms Quinlan said.
“She will always be the epitome of the glamour of Hollywood and the tragedy of it as well,” she said.
“She has become quite immortal.
“Still fans collect her material. She is embedded in visual art.”
The exhibition’s centrepiece will be an eight-metre high statue of Monroe which will tower somewhere in the central business district.
Ms Quinlan said she hoped Marilyn Monroe would emulate the success of the gallery’s last exhibition celebrating a tragic blonde.
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Marilyn Monroe will open on March 5 and run until July 10, exclusively at the Bendigo Art Gallery.